BS: Reporting - Why not get it right?

Subject: BS: Reporting - Why not get it right?
From: GUEST
Date: 18 Dec 03 - 05:46 AM

BBC on-line news service today reported on the visit of Stephen Kenny to David Hicks, Australian held in Guantanamo for the last two years.

BBC 'Headline' - The'Unequal treatment' at Guantanamo (Definite statement)

BBC Intro -
David Hicks has been held at Guantanamo for two years
A lawyer who has visited his client being held at a US base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has told the BBC prisoners there are not being treated equally.

Now in the intro we are told basically - A lawyer has told the BBC that prisoners are not being treated equally. Again like the headline a pretty definite statement.

Because if you read the text of the article you get this:

"Mr Kenny said inmates appeared to be treated differently...."

and this:

"This is a case where the standard of justice seems to have different layers, one for the Americans, there may be another one for the British, there is certainly a different one for Australian - less than the American - and the rest of them in the camp... they weren't [part of] the allies' camp is their rationale and they will get a lesser standard than what the Australians will."

The statements aren't so definite now:

"appeared to be" ???? That makes it definite!
"seems to have" ???? That makes it definite!
"there may be" ???? That makes it definite!

Why couldn't the Beeb just reported it factually and honestly, all it would have taken would have been to put a question mark at the end of their headline.

Subject: RE: BS: Reporting - Why not get it right?
From: freda underhill
Date: 18 Dec 03 - 06:20 AM

among other things the article says:

A lawyer who has visited his client being held at a US base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has told the BBC prisoners there are not being treated equally.

He said there was a pecking order of treatment depending on the captive's nationality - with Americans on top. ....
... "I see a great destruction of what I would call the rule of law, that people should be treated equally before the law, that they should have the same standard of justice," he said.
"This is a case where the standard of justice seems to have different layers, one for the Americans, there may be another one for the British, there is certainly a different one for Australian - less than the American - and the rest of them in the camp... they weren't [part of] the allies' camp is their rationale and they will get a lesser standard than what the Australians will."

this seems pretty definite, for a lawyer..

Subject: RE: BS: Reporting - Why not get it right?
From: GUEST
Date: 18 Dec 03 - 07:42 AM

Reminds me of a South African Policeman being interviewed by the media many years ago. "Racist? we are not racist, we treat all black bastards the same"

Subject: RE: BS: Reporting - Why not get it right?
From: Wolfgang
Date: 18 Dec 03 - 11:53 AM

The mistake is not in the BBCs reporting but in your reading, GUEST.

Had the BBC headlined Unequal treatment in Guantanamo your complaint would have a foundation. However, the BBC has headlined 'Unequal treatment' in Guantanamo. So the BBC makes completely clear that they report that someone has claimed 'unequal treatment' and that that may be true or not.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: BS: Reporting - Why not get it right?
From: DougR
Date: 18 Dec 03 - 11:58 AM

Excellent point, Wolfgang.

DougR

Subject: RE: BS: Reporting - Why not get it right?
From: Rapparee
Date: 18 Dec 03 - 12:14 PM

There is unequal treatment in all prisons, as far as I know. Those who cooperate with the authorities will have it easier than those that don't.

Subject: RE: BS: Reporting - Why not get it right?
From: GUEST
Date: 18 Dec 03 - 12:25 PM

Thanks Wolfgang, you have restored my faith in the BBC